Experiencing culture through traditional dress

AN event that is now in its second successful year, the ‘Dining With My Culture’ was a traditional affair, with the Damara dress shining in all its glory.

Held at the Katutura Community Arts Centre (KCAC) on Saturday, this was a revamp from the inaugural event which saw the Damara dress being celebrated.

This time around, event organisers invited people from all cultures to take part in celebrating the diversity of Namibian cultural attire.

Founder of the event Mariane Thanises narrated the struggles she went through in bringing the initiative to life and urged young women to nurture their tradition.

“This thought came to me in 2010 as I continued to see the death of our ancestry. I thought I should take up the effort so that young ladies also do the same,” she said.

She spoke of how she would ride in furniture and newspaper delivery trucks, trying to travel across the country in an effort to spread her message.

“My pride is your pride and it’s our pride,” she told a room full women of all ages who were now fully committed to ensuring that they do their part in keeping the Damara dress alive.

Also speaking at the event, Hans Eixab told the story of how the Damara dress came to be.

He spoke of the European missionary influence on the clothing of the Namibian population at the time, particularly the Damara people.

Completing the historical setting of the event, which was held in what used to be a kitchen for contract workers during the apartheid era, music was provided by the legendary Ugly Creatures band.

As now per tradition, event organisers from Nukhoe /Umis Cultural presented First Lady Monica Geingos with a traditional dress in her absence.

This time, though, she didn’t receive a Damara dress as she did last year but rather a beautiful shweshwe dress, from the Motswana people.

Organisers pleadged to continue presenting Geingos with a traditional Damara dress for the duration of her time as First Lady.

Meanwhile, in the spirit of unity and cultural diversity, models were also enlisted to show some of Namibia’s traditional dresses, from the Oshiwambo dress to those worn by the Baster community.

Designer Melisa Poulton collaborated with the event organisers in creating a ‘cross-cultural’ dress with hints of all the different traditional dresses from various Namibian communities.

– rukee@namibian.com.na ; @rukeeveni on Twitter

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.